Abstract [en]

Problem: The professions in health care are highly physically and especially mentally stressful jobs where time pressure and work rate continues to increase. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to illuminate stressors that may affect nursing outcomes. Method: The study was a literature review, 17 articles (3 qualitative and 14 quantitative) and a thesis which met the study's purpose was reviewed and analysed. Results and conclusion: Many factors and causes of ill health can today be found in the work environment and its increasingly greater demands on the individual. Each individual is unique and therefor affected differently by the same situations. The stressful experience and how each person handles the situation depends on all the factors in her/his whole life-world. It becomes clear that regardless of the situation, no one is doing well during long-term stress. The factors considered to contribute to the deterioration of quality of care includes lack of time, heavy workload, staff shortages, poor working conditions and reorganizations. These together and also separately, result in that nurses´ experiences of stress and dissatisfaction with their work, which may affect quality of patient care. Implication: Further research should focus on how nurses can influence the factors which leads to stress and a poor work environment and decrased quality of care.